One Hand, One Heart
by TalsLittleWorld
Summary: AU: Kurt transfers to Dalton, only to find a new world, new friendships, new opportunities, and ... dare he say it? A new future? (slightly canon regarding the circumstances leading to Kurt's transfer, characters, songs and Warblers, but otherwise, this is me and my crazy brain, hope you an endure ;) )
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys! Thank you so much for your patience! You are the best, honestly, I cannot describe how much it means to me that you still follow some of my stories even though I've been so wrapped up in my own little world and left my writing to fall by the wayside. Ugh.**

 **I forgot how rewarding writing is. I really did.**

 **So, here goes another venture into something that popped into my head while I've been reading other Klaine fics that made my heart melt.**

 **This is completely AU apart from the beginning circumstances that lead to Kurt's transfer, the characters' names, and of course - the singing and the Warblers.**

 **DISCLAIMER FOR THE ENTIRE STORY: I do NOT own Glee, or any of the songs mentioned from here on out in future chapters.**

 **Thank you so much for sticking around! I love you all!**

 **Hope you enjoy**

* * *

Kurt was in awe.

There was no other word to describe it.

He'd been sitting in his room for the past hour, per his father's instructions, looking up different schools.

* * *

Yesterday his father sat him down after hearing David Karofsky making fun of them for practicing dance moves for his dad and Carole's wedding.

Kurt tried to downplay what really happened as to spare his dad any unnecessary anxiety, but Burt saw right through him and demanded his son tell him the whole truth.

So he did.

Burt wasted no time. Upon hearing the words 'he kissed me, but I didn't want him to,' he got up, grabbed his son by the arm and marched him to the principal's office.

Figgins was no help, as usual. He stuttered a few lame, feeble excuses about how there were no other witnesses, and without any valid proof, Kurt could very well have made up the whole thing.

Burt lost his temper at this. 'Proof?' he roared, 'What proof do you need? That disturbed kid forced himself upon my son, he torments him every day – while you and your teachers do absolutely nothing to stop it – and then you sit here and defend that bastard to my kid's face, and for what? Are you so scared that people might think you're sticking up for the gay kid? Well, I got news for you, Figgins. My son's way better than this pathetic dump you call a school and I'm taking him out of here as soon as possible. Kurt, let's go.

And they went. They marched out of the school and back to Burt's pickup, back home, where Burt sat Kurt down on the couch and held him for quite a while. Saying nothing.

Then he instructed Kurt to head to his bedroom and start looking for schools in the area. 'But make sure they have something against bullying, I am not going through all this crap again. That Figgy-man was bad enough.'

And Kurt hugged him again. He could not believe the lengths his father would go to in order to ensure his safety.

* * *

And here he was, an hour later, having found the most perfect school he could think of. Dalton Academy for Boys. With a no-bullying-tolerance policy to boot. Nothing could be more perfect than this school.

Except that it was in Westerville, two hours away, stupidly expensive, and a boarding school. Which meant that if, on the off chance that his father could afford it (and Kurt wasn't naïve enough to delude himself into believing it was possible), he would have to move there and only come home for a few weekends throughout the whole school-year besides holidays … was he ready for that?

A knock came at the door.

'Well?' his dad asked as he walked into his room, 'Found anything good?'

Kurt showed him the Dalton website.

Burt let out a low whistle. 'Sounds perfect, doesn't it?'

Kurt nodded.

'Do they have any scholarships?'

'A few,' mumbled Kurt, 'including one for music.'

'Well, that's lucky! Print out the forms and let's sit on it tomorrow.'

Kurt turned big wide eyes at his father. 'What?'

Burt looked at him, confused. 'Well, we can't afford a fancy boarding school with just me as a mechanic and Carole as a nurse, can we? And we're not going to find a more perfect scholarship for you. So print it out.'

Kurt couldn't believe it. He was finally getting OUT of McKinley.

What was he going to say to the girls?

* * *

' _Dalton?'_ shrieked Rachel, staring at him incredulously as they sat in her bedroom for their weekend sleepover, having just brought up the popcorn and Rent DVD. 'You'll be our competition!'

'Rachel!' scolded Mercedes, 'It doesn't matter. What matters is that Kurt is going to be far away. How will we keep in touch? Who will tell me what not to wear?' she pouted, looking genuinely upset.

Kurt hugged her. 'Oh, honey, don't you think for one minute you're going to escape weekly talks with me about fashion. All those boys are going to be in stuffy uniforms and I'm going to need my diva dosage, you know,' he winked saucily.

Mercedes giggled and Tina smiled meekly.

'We're really going to miss you Kurt,' she said, 'but good for you for finding a better situation.'

'Yes, I agree,' said Rachel primly, yet seriously, 'papa heard about it at the shop from your dad, and he said that, if I was a gay guy or a lesbian, they'd try and find something better than McKinley, too.'

Kurt smiled, feeling tears stinging in his eyes. Despite everything that sucked in that hell of a school, he'll miss his girls.

* * *

 **A/N: And ... there it is. Short, I know. But it's only the beginning. I want to send out a huge thank you to my bestie Daniella for beta-ing for me, you are seriously the best - mwaaaah!**

 **Hope to see you next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

 **Holy crap, you guys are so amazing with your support! Thank you so much. So this story has a little more meat in it, sort of setting up the kind of world I'm building here ... it would really mean the world to me if you could reply in reviews and tell me what you did and didn't like so I can see how I can tweak it and maybe even improve my writing. Again, thank you so much!**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Two

A month later, Kurt and Burt Hummel were driving along a paved pathway leading to two impressive, wrought-iron gates. As they creeped closer, Kurt started to glimpse the grandeur beyond: it was like someone copy-pasted a picture of a manor from Jane Austen's mind right onto Ohio soil. It far surpassed impressive. It was borderline intimidating.

Kurt had read every bit of information he could find about Dalton over the past month, every alumnae experience available online, and refused to believe it could really be as incredible as described.

And yet, as his father parked in the visitor park space, Kurt couldn't help feeling humbled in front of the majestic architecture of the cluster of buildings, the immaculate gardens and the orderly fields stretched before them.

Burt let out a low, appreciative whistle. 'Pretty fancy school for Ohio, huh?'

But Kurt remained silent.

'Hey,' his dad made him look up at him. 'If someone's picking on you, harassing you, or even _looking_ at you funny, you call me, got it?' Kurt nodded meekly. 'Now let's show these posers what Kurt Hummel's made of.'

* * *

The Dalton complex was divided into seven impressive structure, all grand, yet each with its own unique style and atmosphere. On the right, Kurt could see a massive greenhouse, adorned on the outside with lovely flowers and bushes and trees stretching behind it into an adorable, quaint orchard, besides which was a vineyard. To his left, there was a kitchen hall adjoined to the dining room. Beyond them were two more enormous buildings Kurt couldn't really identify, a barn, a stable (Kurt's insides squirmed uncomfortably – he wasn't really the equestrian type), and in front of him was the impressive manor that greeted them through the gates. There were big, brass letters above the double doors, saying: DALTON MAIN BUILDING.

 _Well, I guess this is it_ , Kurt thought timidly.

He and his father walked up to the main building, looking around at the ostentatious landscaping: there were flowerbeds along the pathway leading to it, bushes behind them, and two parallel lanes of trees that created an elongated archway. In the middle there was a fancy fountain that tinkled lightly and made Kurt wonder exactly how much money those students' parents must earn to afford them going to this place and how much the school must receive in funds to support such an illustrious piece of land.

When they entered, however, Kurt was in for a shock.

From the incredible views outside, he expected everyone in this place to be stuck-up snobs who walked with their noses up in the air, hardly speaking and focused on learning. The sight that greeted him threw him for a bit. There were clusters of boys sitting here and there in couches and pouffes in the lobby, some were mingling on the stairs ahead, and a few were running here and there, yelling at each other to stop or shut up.

Burt chuckled. 'I guess you can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy.'

Kurt had no idea what he meant by that, as he was pretty sure those boys had never been to the country, but a voice to their right sniggered in agreement.

'I'd say,' said the voice, and when Kurt and Burt turned t see who it was, they were greeted by a well-dressed, middle-aged, mustached man who was standing there, holding a stack of papers under one arm and was just starting to stretch out his hand to greet Burt. 'You must be the Hummels. I heard about you from Dean Greyson. My name is Hank Salazar, I'm the history teacher here. If you could follow me, I think I should be able to direct you to the Dean's office.

'Thank you!' said Burt, immensely pleased to see a friendly staff member on their first day here, and prompted Kurt to join him in following Mr. Salazar up the stairs.

They had barely managed to make it two steps before someone knocked, hard, into Kurt, who immediately clutched onto his father, his eyes wide with fear.

'Hey! Watch where you're going, will you? I thought this school was supposed to be against bullying!' snapped Burt at the terrified boy who turned around at his voice.

The boy, who had curly dark brown hair, hazel eyes and was wearing a suit that matched just about every guy in the building aside from Mr. Salazar, stared at Kurt for a second before registering that it was indeed Burt who was talking to him, and then his eyes widened in panic. 'Oh, my gosh! I'm so sorry, sir! I didn't mean to hurt him at all! Sorry, by the way,' he added to Kurt before returning to speak to Burt, who clearly seemed more open to communication than Kurt, 'I'm really late for class and wasn't even looking where I was going. I wouldn't dream of hurting your son … my bad. See you later?' he added hopefully to Kurt, who was really amazed at this boy's manners and striking good looks, but then was struck dumb at being addressed so casually by a boy.

'We'll see,' said Mr. Salazar helpfully, 'Mr. Hummel and Kurt here have just come in for registration and we're on our way to Dean Greyson right now. Blaine, I suggest you hurry if you don't want Miss Devon to write you up as tardy.

Blaine's eyes widened in horror and he spun around and disappeared as quickly as he appeared.

Mr. Salazar turned to the Hummels. 'That's Blaine Anderson. One of our brightest, but somehow always over-energetic. Let's go.'

* * *

When they reached Dean Greyson's office, Kurt was thrown once again by the standards of this school. The hallways were decorated tastefully and in understated tones of brown, burgundy and various shades of dark blue. The Dean's office was a dark, well-polished mahogany that bore gold letters saying _Dean Phillip Greyson_. Mr. Salazar knocked three times on the brass knocker before a deep, warm voice called out, 'Come in.'

Dean Greyson was an elderly man, wisps of white hair circling his head like a small halo, round glasses perched on his nose; he was dressed in a fine suit and was sitting behind a big desk cluttered with stationary, pens, a desk lamp and various other personal items.

Upon seeing the Hummels enter behind Mr. Salazar, the Dean smiled widely, and gestured to the two seats in front of his desks. 'Welcome, please, sit down. Thank you Hank, I'll take it from here.'

Mr. Salazar exited and father and son sat down gingerly in the plush armchairs.

'Good morning, Kurt,' Dean Greyson said kindly, peering at him over his glasses. 'I see you are interested in starting at our school. We were very impressed with your transcripts, I don't think you should have any trouble here academically. Do you mind if I speak to your father for a few moments? You are welcome to stay of course.'

Kurt shrugged, not really knowing what to say.

Dean Greyson and his father began speaking about the circumstances of Kurt's abrupt transfer. As Kurt already knew why he was here, he tuned out for a bit, but when the subject turned to fees and scholarships he came back and decided he could not keep quiet.

'Sir, I have no problem being on scholarship. I wouldn't want to put a strain on my father more than he already takes. It's the least I can do for everything he's done for me.'

Dean Greyson noticed Burt Hummel trying to discreetly wipe the corner of his eye, and was now focusing on Kurt. 'I see, and do you have any special abilities that you think might entitle you to a scholarship? Sports? Debate? Chess? Glee club? Art? Theatre?'

Kurt hesitated, 'well, I was in my old school's glee club, though I didn't get much solos, and I've always been interested in theatre. Is it something that could be relevant?'

Dean Greyson pondered for a bit. 'Well, we do have a thriving theatre department, and we really could use some new blood this year and I could arrange an audition for you, and I think the Warblers, the Dalton glee club, will be pretty good if you can pass the audition process. It's pretty rigorous, as they are the pride and joy of Dalton, so it's not easy,' he warned Kurt, 'but if you're really serious about it, and pass both auditions in the upcoming week, I don't see why you shouldn't be eligible for the musical theatre scholarship. It also provides high recommendations and extra credit points for colleges after you graduate.'

Kurt's eyes sparkled. 'Yes!' he blurted out. 'I mean, yes, thank you, sir, I think that could be a good one for me.'

'Excellent!' Dean Greyson clapped his hands together. 'Well, I think that settles everything between you and I, Mr. Hummel,' he said, addressing a surprised Kurt, 'do you think you could find your way back to the lobby? I just need a few last words with your father, and then I'll have one of the students from your year give you your orientation. Welcome to Dalton.'

Kurt walked out of the office in a daze. Now how to find his way back to the lobby …. Well, crap.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello everyone!**

 **So, I managed to crank out another chapter. A little more details about what's going on in my version of Dalton.**

 **Thank you so much for your support and reviews! It means a lot that you guys like this, and I really appreciate it! We get a little more insight into the Warblers here, and I'm working on chapter four right now and am really excited about it.**

* * *

Chapter Three

Kurt was lost. Lost and frightened.

He had been trying for the past twenty minutes to find a stairwell that might lead him downstairs, like the Dean asked, but this weird corridor just kept going on and on in wide, neverending circles, and Kurt was pretty sure that he had passed the Dean's office three times already. He was just about to head there to ask for directions when a tap on his shoulder made him gasp and sent him cowering against the wall.

'Oh, crap! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay, dude?'

Looking up, Kurt saw a boy with dark skin and black hair, wearing the same navy-and-red uniform that Blaine kid who crashed into him downstairs wore.

'Do you people get a kick out of scaring the living crap out of new guys?' breathed Kurt, still staring at the boy.

'Um, no?' said the boy, looking bewildered. 'You just looked lost. You trying to get somewhere?'

Kurt shook his head. 'Uh, yeah, the Dean told me to go down to the lobby, but this place is like freaking Narnia, does it have an end?'

The boy chuckled. 'Yeah, for a newbie it would be confusing. Come on, newbie, let's get you down and we can talk. What's your name, by the way?'

'Kurt,' said Kurt. 'Kurt Hummel, you? Um, can I ask something? What's with the stable, kitchen and greenhouse?'

'Oh,' said the boy, 'first of all, I'm David, hi. Um, didn't the Dean tell you? They're big here on manual work, so we grow our own fruit and vegetables for the cooking, do the cooking, raise horses, cows and chickens and stuff, you know for riding, milk and eggs. The meat we get of course from outside, they're not really keen on getting kids to kill animals, you know?'

'Wait, does it mean I have to walk around in overalls and scoop up cow and horse poop?' asked Kurt, horrified, completely appalled and engrossed in his first conversation with a total stranger who didn't judge him, that he didn't notice they had started walking and were now walking downstairs.

'You're not an outdoorsy type, huh? Well, it depends really on what you're able to do. Like, some guys here are really good with growing stuff, some are good with animals, some are good with cooking … but they try to get us involved everything, so once in a while they change up the routine for a week or so, and then we complain and they change it back.'

Kurt took this in. 'Well, I guess cooking won't be that bad … as long as I don't have to actually kill anything before I cook it,' he smiled sheepishly. Then looked around. 'How the …' they were already in the lobby, '… thank you.'

'No worries,' smiled David, 'see you around, Kurt.'

And with that he left the building, leaving Kurt amazed at how nice everyone were so far.

David ran out of the main building towards the dorm building, passing a few bewildered students on the way, ignoring someone calling his name, determined to reach the building as soon as possible. As soon as he got in, he ran up the main staircases, turned right, then left, and ran straight to the end room and hammered on the door excitedly.

'Wes! Wes! Open the damn door, you idiot! I have something to tell you!'

There was a loud snore from inside the room, making David roll his eyes.

'Wes! It's freaking seven in the morning! Get your ass out of bed!'

Finally, the door flung open to reveal a tousled-haired Asian boy, looking grumpily up at David, 'what? It's Saturday, David, leave me alone. I was up till late pruning those cucumbers.'

David rolled his eyes again. 'Whatever, look, there's a new kid right now in the main building, waiting for his dad to finish with the Dean, and we need to make sure he comes here and not the other dorm.'

Wes rubbed his eyes, looking blearily at his friend in confusion, 'Get in here, you're talking nonsense when you're overexcited.'

David hurried into his friend's dorm and promptly sat in a beanbag in the middle of the room. 'Look, there's this new kid that we need to make sure comes here, okay? We need him.'

'Why, though?' asked Wes, his face contorted in confusion, 'aren't Riley, Jeff and Nick a handful already? We don't need anyone new to keep an eye on.'

'Just hear me out,' said David patiently, 'when I mentioned the activities we do here, he sounded interested in singing, which could be cool, and he literally lit up when I mentioned we do our own cooking. Can you imagine having a housemate who can actually cook to save his life?'

Wes's jaw dropped. 'He can cook?' he squealed. 'For real? Oh, my goodness. Okay, I'll make sure he comes here. Goodness knows we need someone who can cook, if I have to live another week on In n' Out my mom will take me out of here.'

But when Wes reached the door, David's voice stopped him. 'There's one more thing,' he said slowly, 'I bumped into Blaine before I tracked down Kurt, and … he said he was pretty.'

Wes turned on the spot. 'He said what?'

 _Meanwhile in the main building_.

Kurt looked up when he heard his name.

His dad and the Dean were descending the stairs, his dad carrying a binder with papers, looking satisfied but still hesitant, beckoning his son to him.

'Come here, bud, I've just finished talking to the Dean, and I think we're all set here, is there anything else? I really need to get back to the shop, I have a truck that needs a little fine-tuning, okay?'

Kurt ran to his father and hugged him tight. 'Don't worry, Dad, I met someone here and he seemed pretty okay. Though they do seem to like to scare the crap out of me, for some reason.'

Burt chuckled. 'Good, I'm glad. So just stay here until the Dean gets back, okay? And call me if you need anything, anytime, got it?'

'Got it, Dad.'

And Burt left the main building, leaving Kurt and the Dean standing in front of each other.

'Now, Mr. Hummel,' said Dean Greyson, 'let me just consult with a few members of my staff and I will return with your …'

But what he will return with, Kurt didn't find out, for at that very moment, the front doors of the building burst open and a gaggle of boys, including the boy who introduced himself previously to Kurt as David, burst through and hurried over to the pair as soon as they saw them.

'Dean Greyson, sir,' said an Asian boy who looked the most proper and apparently the leader of the group, 'we wanted to talk about Kurt's dorm assignment before you come to a decision. We wanted to request him living with us.'

Dean Greyson's eyebrows shot up into his receding white hair line, while Kurt's insides did a tiny flip. _They wanted him to dorm with them? After only having one of them meet him for no more than a minute? What is this place?_

'Really, now?' said Dean Greyson, skepticism obvious in his tone, 'Have you met him, that you're so anxious to vouch for him?'

David stepped up, rather boldly, Kurt thought. 'Yes, sir. I met him when he got lost around the corridors upstairs and led him here. I think we could benefit from his presence in the school activities, and personally I think he's great and we'd like to get to know him more.'

Kurt's head shot up. He thought he saw something of a playful smirk on David's face, and then saw a vaguely familiar curly head peek out from behind the Asian boy, _Blaine_. Did he also have something to do with it? Kurt wondered.

'Mr. Hummel,' Dean Greyson called Kurt's attention back to himself, 'do you have any objections to joining dormitory number two? I must warn you, they are quite a handful. Easily excitable.'

Kurt looked back at the expectant faces of the boys in front of him. 'Well, I already know David, and … it would be nice to be with people who actually want me there. Um, that is, if you guys are okay with …'

Dean Greyson cut across him, 'this is a school that will not tolerate bullying of any sort, Mr. Hummel, your private life is none of anyone's business unless you agree to make it so. So, what will it be?'

'Yeah, sure,' said Kurt, jumping slightly when the rest of the boys hollered and applauded.

'Great,' said the Dean, 'so we will just need to see where we can assign you in our daily chores. As I'm sure David told you, we make sure our boys are competent not only in academics, but in home economics, gardening, etc., is there anything in particular that you prefer? Horses?' Kurt looked terrified, 'Chickens? Cows?' Kurt tried to keep a calm face, 'Gardening? Cleaning? Cooking?' Kurt raised his head slightly.

'I think cooking might be okay for me,' said Kurt timidly.

The Dean regarded Kurt carefully, 'bear in mind that you will be cooking for your entire dorm, three meals a day, of course not alone, but it is still a big task and you will direct the others in your group. Most of those chores will be done in the evenings before, so that the following day, all you have to do is heat the food up and lay it out on the buffet tables. Does that sound like something you can do daily?'

Kurt thought for a moment, then nodded. 'Yup, I cook for my dad all the time, I think cooking for a bunch of boys won't be too different.'

Dean Greyson smirked. 'Very well, I will inform the cleaning team that they will need to clean up after mealtimes. It's been a while since we've had someone able to cook decently. We've had to order a lot of takeout for the boys.'

As the Dean left for what was obviously the teacher's room, David popped up next to Kurt, sliding his arm around his shoulder.

'Welcome to Dalton, Kurt! Come on, your dad brought your stuff up to the dorm before he left, so we can show you to your room now.'

And without further ado, Kurt was escorted by the overeager Dalton boys to the dorm building, and to his new life.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, I admit that ending was slightly cheesy, but I hope it was okay.**

 **Once again, reviews are highly appreciated, and I'll see you next time.**

 **You guys are the best!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:**

 **Oh my god, this turned out so long! Ahhh! I haven't written this much in while, eeep!**

 **Thank you so much, you guys, for the support! It means a lot and I really hope that you like this one.**

 **So, this is where it starts to get a little more detailed and complicated and I cannot thank my beta/editor/bff for doing this, Daniela, you rock!**

 **Also, PurpleBombshell - I guess you'll just have to wait and read, huh? ;) seriously, your reviews make me smile.**

 **Hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Four

The dorms were majestic. From what Kurt could see as he was whisked through the hallways, the building was of the same old-fashioned design as the main building, but much more homey and clearly meant for living, rather than administrative and learning purposes.

The floors were covered by wall-to-wall carpets of burgundy, the staircases were wooden, and the walls were covered in blue and burgundy tapestries, matching the uniforms worn by the boys all around.

They climbed to the second floor, and on to the corridor to the right, and came to a halt in front of a wooden door with a knocker the shape of a delicately-carved brass bird. Opening it, Kurt's jaw dropped in amazement. The room was massive for a single bedroom. It was a marvelous vast room, with a big wardrobe to the left, and a queen bed tucked into a cavity in the wall on the right. In the middle, along the wall, right below the large window in front of them, stood a magnificent wooden desk with a comfy chair. The rest of the room was bare, clearly left for the inhabitant's creative decorating pleasure. Kurt's luggage was already placed at the foot of his bed. And then, Kurt's attention was diverted further to the left, where he saw another door.

'Is that a private bathroom?' he asked, hardly daring to believe it. He was sure he would be forced to use communal bathrooms with the rest of these boys, not something he was looking forward to.

'Well, of course,' said David, as though it was obvious. 'You don't pay Dalton prices just to shower and pee with everyone else, do you?' he joked, but upon seeing the perplexed expression on Kurt's face, turned serious. 'They take privacy very seriously here. So you don't have to worry about anyone harassing you at any moment.'

Kurt swallowed with difficulty. This place was incredible. How many times has he been forced to change clothes before gym class in front of the rest of the boys in his class and be taunted and ridiculed for not being as burly as the rest of those chimps? This was almost too good to be true.

'Oh, Kurt,' said David, pulling him out of his thoughts. 'Since it is Saturday, a few of us are actually getting together tonight in the student lounge to watch movies, do you want to come?'

Kurt looked around. They all seemed to genuinely want to be in his company. This was completely new to him. The boy named Blaine whom he met earlier stepped forward, holding out his hand.

'Hey, Kurt, I'm Blaine. Sorry for earlier, but I was sort of rushing to the gardens, I was late to picking the tomatoes. Um, I just wanted to say welcome, and, um, if you need anything just come by, I'm your neighbor across the hall.'

Kurt couldn't do anything except take the offered hand in silence. His mind was shut down in front of this gorgeous boy. His black hair was curly, yet gelled down slightly, but not enough to hide the curls. His eyes were a hundred different shades of gold and amber, glinting here and there in the light as he looked at Kurt with a blazing glare. His lips were pink and full, and Kurt couldn't take his gaze off of them. His skin was olive-tinted and smooth, and Kurt longed to know how it would feel under his fingertips.

Suddenly aware of his thoughts, Kurt let go of Blaine's hand, his cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

'Um, thank you, for showing me to my room. Um, if you don't mind I'd really like to get ready for lunch.'

The boys scrambled away, leaving David, Blaine and the Asian boy at Kurt's doorway.

'Kurt,' said the Asian boy, 'I'm Wes, I'm the Room Advisor for the junior year, so if there's anything you need, just holler, okay? I'll leave you to it.'

And he and David rushed off. Now only Blaine remained there, looking just as awkward as Kurt felt.

'Sorry about them,' Blaine mumbled, 'they're ridiculous as they come, but they mean well. Um, did you need help unpacking?'

'No!' Kurt exclaimed. Then realized what he was doing. 'Um, no, thanks. I'd just rather nobody else but me touch my clothes. Most of these things are really delicate, and I'd hate for them to wrinkle … not that you'd wrinkle them!' he wanted to die on the spot. Why couldn't he just say no thanks and shut up? He thought to himself

Blaine chuckled softly. 'I get it.' Kurt raised an eyebrow. 'No, I do! I mean, here we usually have to wear the uniform when representing the school or in class, but I'd die before letting anyone touch my regular clothes.'

Kurt smiled in relief. Glad to find someone who understood him.

'Um, I didn't want to ask anyone in case they got offended, but … is this a school for gays … or what?'

Blaine chuckled again. 'Um, no. It's not. This school just seriously doesn't let anyone get bullied … I know,' he said at Kurt's incredulous face. 'I know, I didn't believe it either when I first came here last year, but it's true. This place is amazing. And I really hope that you'll see it while you're here. Um, I'd better go. Oh, and you don't have to worry about food preparation until tomorrow evening. Since it's your first day here, tomorrow they'll order some food, but they want you to adjust to the place before they heap on you the amount of food you will prepare. Um, if you need any help at all, you can come and ask, all right? No one expects you to do everything on your own.'

Kurt nodded. Not sure what to say. He mainly wanted to be left alone to unpack and get settled into his new room. Blaine seemed to sense this and began leaving, but not before turning back to Kurt and saying, 'Welcome to Dalton, Kurt. I hope you like it here.'

Kurt set to work immediately. He took all of his shower bags into the bathroom, and nearly passed out from amazement. The bathroom was immaculate, shiny, and made mostly of marble tiles. The vanity was complete with numerous drawers, a stool, and light bulbs above a rectangle spotless mirror. The shower was large enough to inhabit two, also spotless, equipped with what looked like shower jets. There were fluffy towels in a towel warmer tucked in the corner and a little toilet as well.

Putting all of his creams and toiletries in their places, Kurt walked out and began rifling through his clothes and possessions.

He had brought everything he could from home. Boarding here meant living here, and he wanted to make the transition as easy as possible. He brought all of his clothes, his laptop, books, pictures … and then he finally found what he was looking for. His framed picture of the New Directions.

As much as his life at McKinley sucked, he will miss his old glee club. He just hoped that he would be able to see them once in a while.

A knock came at the door.

Kurt tossed around on his bed, not really wanting to wake up.

He had finished unpacking and putting everything in place, including neatly hanging up his Wicked and Rent posters, and then sat down on his new bed and was once again astounded by the quality. It was huge, soft, and luxurious to the touch, and he couldn't help but lay down on the covers, just to get a feel of how the mattress sunk under his weight.

He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillows.

Now, about an hour later, someone was knocking on his door, and Kurt was reluctant to answer. It was really comfortable here and he wasn't really prepared to deal with a bunch of hormonal boys eager to … he didn't know what.

Sure, they were gracious, excited puppies upon meeting him, but from his experience, as soon as guys got used to him, they either tended to ignore him, tolerated him, or decided he was a threat and made his life a living hell. Despite this place being a school with zero-tolerance towards bullying, Kurt took that advertisement with a grain of salt and decided to test the waters before he plunged into whatever may lay in store in this ginormous school.

But the person on the other side of the door was quite persistent. The knocks came coming until Kurt could not ignore them anymore, he has long since been aroused, but was trying to slip back into sleep, trying to block out the incessant knocking. But it was no use.

Unwillingly, he opened his eyes, got out of bed, and walked over to the door, grumbling under his breath about insensitive people.

Noticing a small mirror hanging on the wall beside the door, he made sure his hair wasn't a mess before opening the door.

It was Blaine.

He was now dressed in what seemed to be grey sweatpants, a light blue sweater that clung tight to his well-built torso, and mismatched socks (one grey, one yellow) covering his feet. His hair was tousled and he looked overly excited.

'Can I help you?' Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow. As adorable as this sight was, he did not appreciate being woken up after an emotionally-draining day. He didn't want to look too haggard tomorrow – his first day in Dalton. Despite it being a Sunday, Kurt got the impression that they kept everyone busy with chores around the campus, and he did not want to look like a wrecked mess, even if every part inside of him was absolutely devastated at being torn apart from his father because of that … Kurt shook his head. He will _not_ think of that asshole right now.

'Um, is this a bad time? I just wanted to ask whether you want to join us in the student lounge.' Blaine looked wary at Kurt's slightly aggressive tone.

'Sorry, I'm just not really good at people skills ten seconds after being woken up,' Kurt immediately backtracked. 'Um, I thought David said you guys were doing a marathon in the evening … what are you guys doing there now?'

Blaine raised his hand and rumpled his hair slightly, and Kurt noticed that it was free of product and he looked even more adorable than ever in this homey ensemble. Oh boy, first day and he's already crushing on someone who's probably not even on his team. Why? Why must he do this to himself?

'Well, some of us just like to hang out there. There are video games, books, board games, and stuff and we usually just sit there and mingle, you know? Just thought it might be fun for you to get to know the guys before tonight.'

Kurt considered this. He wasn't too keen about being in a closed space with a bunch of guys, but he might as well get used to them if he was going to live with them.

'Yeah, sure, lead the way. I wanted to ask you a few questions anyway.'

Blaine stepped aside to allow Kurt to exit his room, turned left and led the way down the hall towards where Kurt assumed the student lounge was.

Blaine smiled apprehensively, 'Not regretting coming here already, are you?'

'Um,' Kurt hesitated, 'nor really. Just really curious about why this school invests so much in luxurious accommodation for its students. You know, the most luxurious thing we had at McKinley was a slushy machine and it was ruined for us because …' he trailed off, not really sure whether he was ready to open up to this Blaine. He didn't know him all that well, after all.

Blaine stopped in front of a door and turned to look at Kurt. 'Well, Dalton is funded by its students' families, and some of those have deep pockets, but I don't think we have a slushy machine in the dining hall. I know that some of the culinary students make a mean orange juice on the rocks,' he cracked, but when he saw that Kurt was still apprehensive, he tried a different avenue. 'So what happened to that slushy machine? Did it break?'

Kurt winced. 'Not really,' he hesitated, 'the glee club in my school wasn't that popular. Since I was on it, and since I was … well, am gay … I got double the torment from the popular kids, you know, jocks, cheerleaders, all those kids, and they threw slushies at me and my glee club whenever we didn't expect it. You have no idea how many times I had to bring an emergency outfit and towels to dry off and change because my clothes were ruined … what?'

Kurt stopped talking when he noticed Blaine giving him a strange look.

'Why didn't the staff do anything about it?' he asked, sounding genuinely confused.

Kurt laughed mirthlessly, 'You're kidding, right? Backwards Lima, Ohio, defend the dancing, singing loser club or the gay kid? Maybe in like fifty years, they'd do something, but not now. So, yeah.'

'Kurt,' Blaine looked like he was about to cry. 'Kurt, I … I had no idea … um, I just … do you mind if I hugged you?'

Kurt shrugged, assuming it was a half hug or a pat on the back like the guys in the glee club would do on the rare occasion when they would defend him from the jocks, but he was not prepared for the full-on embrace Blaine enveloped him in. It was jarring, being hugged like this. The only person to ever hug him with this much emotion behind the hug was his father, and back in the day, his mother, but never had he been hugged like this by someone outside his family. Not even by the girls. They would hug him for a few seconds and let go upon meeting him or when he was upset, but this hug was lingering, comforting even, and completely unexpected.

Kurt found himself falling into Blaine's arms, resting his head on his broad shoulder, noticing the strong muscles under the soft material of his sweater, and hummed softly, unable to help himself.

After a minute or so, Blaine pulled back, and Kurt was astounded to see tears shimmering in this those amber-hazel irises, and was even more surprised when the sight made his heart strings tug painfully, as though the mere sight was causing him insufferable amounts of grief, and he stretched out his hand to put it on Blaine's shoulder.

'Hey, are you okay? I'm sorry if I'm being too clingy, I … I'm not really used to people being so understanding and kind, and it's …'

'A little jarring?' Blaine finished for him.

Kurt nodded silently, looking at Blaine with peaking interest.

'Sorry to just spring that hug on you, I just … I couldn't bear the thought of people doing something so humiliating and … and just plain cruel, to someone else, especially someone like you.'

Kurt blushed under Blaine's gaze. 'Um, where is this student lounge? I could get lost in this maze, sometimes.'

Blaine seemed to snap out of the trance he was supposedly under, looking at Kurt so intensely, and motioned to the door they stopped by, 'It's here. Um, but I should warn you that they will try and commandeer your attention. It's like dealing with puppies.'

 _Yeah, but I seem to be handling you fairly well, so I think a few other puppies should be fine_ , Kurt thought to himself with a smirk, and followed Blaine into the lounge.

* * *

 **Whew. Okay. So the end is a little iffy to me, but come on - Blaine IS a puppy!**

 **So I hope it wasn't too much and really hope to see you guys again!**

 **As always, reviews are appreciated and very dear to my heart!**

 **See ya**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long ... my laptop is acting up so I'm kind of scared of touching it (seriously! It sounds like it'll explode any given time, so it's really a touch-and-go basis here - yikes), and I've had some real life commitments (jobs, savings plans, family, etc.) so you know, got to get there.**

 **But, never fear! Klaine is here!**

 **However, this chapter is not beta-ed or edited at all! So if there are any errors/typos at all, my apologies!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Five

The lounge was every bit magnificent as the rest of the dormitory building. Kurt could see what Blaine meant when he said that the school was well-funded. The bookshelves were packed from floor to ceiling with impressive volumes; a state-of-the-art stereo was positioned on a chest of drawers made entirely of wood with intricate carvings. In the middle of the room was a collection of armchairs, pouffes, two sofas, all clustered around an impressive flat-screen TV that currently displayed a rather violent video game, mounted on a mantel holding various gadgets no doubt meant for the students' entertainment.

On a sofa to their left, David turned towards them, smiling from ear to ear. 'Kurt! Come here, man, we were just trying to decide which movies we were going to watch later. We also wanted to talk. You know, get to know you, and such.'

With Blaine beside him, Kurt made his way through the seats towards David's sofa. He plopped down onto it and nearly fell through, the cushion was so pliant and soft, it nearly sucked Kurt into itself. Giggling, Blaine handed him a hand to pull him into a proper sitting position as he himself collapsed into a pouffe at Kurt's feet. Blushing slightly, Kurt turned to David.

'So, what movies did you think would be okay to watch tonight?'

David looked at him gleefully, 'Well, we thought maybe a marathon of some awesome series involving the best badass wizard of all times might be fun. But then we weren't sure what you're into, and we're sort of hoping to get on your good side, you know, you're going to be making our food starting tomorrow and we can't have you poisoning our cereal, now can we?' he finished, looking slightly cautious, as though Kurt might literally poison him at that very moment.

Kurt giggled. When the Dean said they were excitable, he was under-selling these guys.

The rest of the Dalton boys in the room were now looking avidly at the pair of them. The Asian boy stood up and walked over, leaning over the back of the sofa, looking suspiciously at Kurt.

' _Can_ you even cook? Because we don't want to be _accidentally_ poisoned, either, you know,' he said, eyeing Kurt with a slightly anxious expression.

'Seriously?' Kurt asked, forgetting for a moment about his shyness, his determination of keeping a distance, and looking up at the Asian boy. 'Are you seriously asking me if _I_ can cook? What's your name?'

'Wes,' said the boy warily, clearly sensing his mistake.

'Okay, Wes,' Kurt said, standing up and turning around to stare Wes squarely in the face, his hands on his hips, every head in the room turning now in their direction. 'I wouldn't sign up for the cooking chores if I didn't know how to cook. Why would I sign myself up to that if I didn't?'

Blaine jumped to his feet and placed his arms in what he hoped was comforting manner on Kurt's shoulders, 'Kurt, ignore Wes, he's just protective of his food. Wes, don't scare the new kid before movie night, we want to ease him into our craziness, not dump it on him in the first hour of his stay here. Just, chill out, everyone.'

A blond boy jumped over and stood next to Kurt, looking at him expectantly. 'Can you really cook?' he asked, sounding very much like the expectant puppy Blaine had described before they came in.

Nodding warily, Kurt found himself once again in a tight hug, this time with a bunch of blond hair in his face, rather than a mop of curly, adorable black hair. 'Thank you! You are a lifesaver! I am _so_ tired of In n' Out! It will be so great to finally eat real food.'

'Okay, Jeff,' Blaine said, gently extricating Kurt from the excitable blond boy's sudden hug. 'Maybe not put pressure on him his first day here, okay? Everyone,' he then said, addressing the room in general, 'I know it's exciting to have someone new, especially since it seems he has so many talents,' Kurt was seriously tired of blushing around this Blaine kid, 'but let's not overwhelm him. It's hectic enough as it is around here, so let's ease him into it rather than just dump it all on him, okay? Kurt, would you like to join us for a Harry Potter marathon later this evening?'

Kurt just stared at Blaine. How could he go from being adorable and sensitive one moment, to commandeering and authoritative the next, then back to that sensitive puppy Kurt encountered outside in the hall in under ten minutes? He nodded, still unsure where exactly he landed himself and sat back down, feeling Blaine settle back down next to him, slightly leaning against his leg.

Looking around, Kurt watched several Dalton boys play video games, yelling at the screen and laughing with each other, a few were reading in the armchairs, and several were playing board games, most were just relaxing in pouffes like Blaine, talking to one another. Something struck Kurt, something he hadn't thought about ever since he left the Dean's office.

* * *

'Blaine?' he asked, looking down at the curly-haired boy, 'The Dean mentioned something about you guys having a glee club and a theatre department? Is it too late to audition?'

Blaine looked up at him, and something flickered in his eyes. 'Well, about the Warblers – that's our glee club – you'll have to talk to Mr. Salazar, that's our director, I think you met him?' he looked questioningly at Kurt, reminding him strongly of a puppy cocking his head to the side. What is it with this boy?

'Um,' Kurt shook his head for a moment, trying to clear his mind of this image of a cute puppy with hazel eyes, 'yeah, yeah, he's the … uh, history teacher here? I think my dad and I met him when we got into the administration building.'

Blaine nodded with a smile. 'Yup, that's him. He's a good guy. A bit weird sometimes, you'll see what I mean. But yeah. And about the theatre department, well, that's a particularly fond spot of Dean Greyson's. The productions we put up here tend to bring in quite a bit of funding and awareness from recruiters from colleges for the seniors, so the Dean takes whoever wants to join quite seriously and if you told him you're interested, he'll arrange an audition and you'll have to prepare. Well. But the Warblers shouldn't be a problem, if you'd like, I'd be happy to talk to Mr. Salazar for you and arrange for you to audition this Friday, we usually reserve auditions for Fridays so they don't disrupt the week's activities and stuff.'

'Wait, are you a Warbler?' Kurt was intrigued. How many more layers were to this remarkable boy?

It was Blaine's turn to blush this time. 'Um, yeah … I guess you could say that.'

On the sofa beside Kurt, David let out a snort, looking disbelievingly at Blaine, who shot him a warning look. Now Kurt was beyond curious and knew that Blaine was hiding something from him.

'What?' he asked. 'Blaine, what's going on?'

'Nothing,' Blaine said grudgingly, scratching the back of his head, suddenly looking bashful. 'It's just that I'm not just a Warbler …'

'He's more like our lead Warbler,' guffawed David, 'he's just too humble to admit that. Basically, we're an acapella group and Blaine here gets the solos because Mr. Salazar thinks he has a great stage presence. We don't resent him or anything,' he hurried to add, seeing Kurt's eyebrows rise to his hairline in disbelief and what could alarmingly look as contempt, 'we work really well together, everyone gets to perform, and we like the way things work, if you're good enough, who knows, maybe Salazar will make you two co-leads or something.'

Kurt nodded in understanding, taking all this in. Back in New Directions, everyone fought for a chance in the spotlight, but here – it was like everyone wanted to support each other, all the time. It was overwhelming. He didn't have to fight to stand out any more. Everyone were equals, and everyone could sound their voices and be heard, regardless of whether that idea is stupid or not, apparently.

Blaine scoffed at David, 'Don't make it sound like I'm the lead, David, you know full well everyone auditions every year for the lead, just because I got it twice since I came here doesn't mean I'm the only candidate. How did it work at your old school, Kurt?'

Kurt hesitated. He didn't want to sell out the New Directions, but if he was going to be part of the Warblers, he wasn't really giving information to the enemy, now was he? 'Well, the New Directions were quite …'

Everyone started laughing immediately. Looking around, Kurt frowned.

'What the hell is so funny?'

Even Blaine couldn't keep a straight face. 'Kurt, did you hear what you just said?'

Kurt rolled his eyes. 'Fine, I know how it sounds, but it's supposed to be New Di-rections, not that … other thing,' he blushed even at the thought, 'it's not my fault our director has terrible ideas, is it? Anyway, with them, it was mainly everyone fighting for a chance to get a solo, but eventually Rachel and Finn got the solos and duets, leaving us all to sway in the background. But we also danced and had musical accompaniment in the performances, so it was sort of this spectacle rather than just a singing performance.'

Wes and David looked at each other.

'Well, crap,' Wes said finally. 'We need to up our game then. I'll go to Salazar and see if I can get him to finally consider choreography. Davey, did you do the laundry rounds yet?'

David shook his head. 'I'm doing it right before the movie marathon so it'll work while we geek out.'

Wes nodded and hurried out of his room.

'Where's Wes going?' Kurt asked curiously.

'We can't leave the dormitory building without our uniform unless we're heading out of campus for home on weekends or holidays,' said Blaine, chuckling at Kurt's horrified expression.

'But,' he said slowly, 'when do we get to wear normal clothes during school?' he asked in a frightened voice, thinking of all his precious clothes upstairs in his wardrobe, 'And what am I gonna wear tomorrow? I haven't got a uniform yet.'

Blaine snapped his head up back at him. 'Wait, you don't have a uniform? Didn't … David …'

But before he could even finish his sentence, David was out of his seat and rushing out the door. Seeing Kurt's astonished expression, Blaine explained.

'David's in charge of laundry here in the dormitory, and he knows where there are extra uniforms that you can have.'

Kurt nodded, not sure how to respond to that. He wasn't too keen on wearing anything that everyone else was already wearing, but … he supposed this was the price of security and being in a boarding school. Something else was on Kurt's mind.

'Blaine,' the boy in question turned his head again in his direction, 'um, do you think maybe we could talk somewhere? Alone?'

Looking around, confused, Blaine considered for a moment and then nodded, standing up and motioning Kurt to follow him outside.

Blaine led them all the way back to Kurt's room, assuming Kurt would like as much privacy as possible, considering how fidgety he seemed the entire way there, and the way he asked to speak privately.

He sincerely hoped that it wasn't something he or the others have said or done. He knew they were an odd bunch that was always too clingy, bouncy and excited about new people, and he knew that Kurt had come from an abusive environment, and Blaine – albeit not knowing the extent of it – was sure that something happened to make Kurt transfer here in the middle of the semester.

Arriving at Kurt's door, Blaine turned to look at Kurt, who was drawn in on himself, clearly deep in thought.

'Kurt? Are you okay? Do you want to be left alone?'

At this, Kurt looked up, suddenly noticing where they were and shook his head slightly. 'Um, no, sorry. I was just thinking about stuff … um, do you mind coming in for a bit? I think it's better if we talked there rather than here …'

Blaine nodded, regretting immediately bringing Kurt to the student lounge with all the Warblers there. They were the craziest among the students in the dorm, he should have thought of that.

'Um, so, I guess …' Blaine closed his eyes, he couldn't bear Kurt wanting to go back, not when he finally found someone so, 'I guess what I wanted to ask was … is everyone in here gay? Is this a gay school?'

Blaine's head snapped up to stare at Kurt. Well, that as unexpected. And he couldn't help but let out a small laugh of understanding. 'Um, wow. Okay, that was, like, totally not what I thought you wanted to talk about. Um, sorry, um, no, it's not, though I guess you could think that just by meeting the Warblers.'

Kurt nodded, finally realizing he had basically just met his future glee club a few moments ago. Wow.

'Well, it's a school for boys, but not all of us are gay. I am, but most of the guys here aren't. I think, in our year, it's just me, Jeff, Nick and Trent.'

Kurt's eyes snapped upwards and met Blaine's. 'You're …'

Blaine nodded. 'Yeah. I'm guessing you haven't really met any gay guys … um, I don't want to assume, but are you …'

Kurt nodded. Feeling relief flooding at finally meeting someone who was like him and wasn't judging him for admitting so, or worse, beating the living daylights out of him.

'Thank you,' Kurt whispered, not really knowing what else to say. 'Thank you for being so understanding and open. It's not something I'm used to, and it's overwhelming and all, but …'

And suddenly he found himself again in Blaine's embrace. 'Don't thank me,' he whispered. 'You're safe, you can be whoever you want to be, whoever you are, and no one will judge you. I don't know what happened to you back in McKinley, but you're safe here, Kurt.'

Kurt shuddered at the way Blaine said his name. Leaning back, Blaine looked at him, unshed tears in his eyes, his arms still circling Kurt.

'I was attacked at my old school,' Kurt found himself confessing, not really sure why he was confiding in a boy he met mere hours ago. 'This guy, a football player he … um, he made my life a living hell for some time, and at some point he was taunting me so bad, that I just … I've had enough and confronted him and …' Kurt choked, he wasn't sure how to put it into words. He hadn't talked about it since telling his father.

'Did he do something to you more than say bad things?'

Kurt nodded. 'He, um … he kissed me and threatened to kill me if I ever told anyone. I couldn't stay there. I couldn't.'

He couldn't stop himself form burying his face in Blaine's broad chest, it was so comforting in its firmness. Suddenly, he felt the soft material of the sweater under his cheek begin to dampen, and he realized he was crying.

The arms around Kurt tightened and he looked up to see Blaine looking at him with a concerned expression. 'Do you want to maybe sit down?' he suggested, starting to move them towards Kurt's bed.

Kurt sat down and immediately curled into Blaine's side, not really sure why he was doing this, just knowing that the comfort that Blaine was offering was everything he needed at the moment.

'I'm so sorry for just jumping you like that,' Kurt mumbled, 'I don't know why it suddenly hit me so hard. I just … I guess I needed that.'

Blaine wrapped his arm around Kurt, closing his eyes as he felt the warm body next to him, enjoying it while he could. Then a thought popped into his head.

'Kurt,' the boy in question lifted his head to look at him through the most beautiful blue-green-gray eyes that were no shimmering with tears. He had to recollect his thoughts. 'Um, have I told you what I do around here with the chores?'

Kurt shook his head. He didn't recall Blaine sharing what his part in this weird school was.

Blaine got up to his feet and held out his hand, 'Come on, I'll show you.'

* * *

As they descended the stairs into the entrance hall of the building, they saw beyond the glass doors that it started to rain. Blaine immediately steered them to the left all the way to what turned out to be a closet for coats and umbrellas. Rifling through them, Blaine found what he was looking for and took out a fancy black umbrella, and closed the door. He led Kurt to the doors and opened them, pulling him out under the protruding roof of the entrance, glancing timidly at the torrid rain around them.

'You know what? I don't think this is a good idea, it's quite a walk there, and I don't know if we'll make it back in time before curfew.'

Kurt looked critically at the sky above, everything was covered by a thick blanket of grey-black clouds. 'Are you sure? Where are we supposed to be going anyway?'

'The stables. I take care of the horses every afternoon and thought it might be …' Blaine trailed away at Kurt's amused expression. 'What?'

'You wanted to take me to see horses? Really, Blaine?' _And just when I thought he couldn't get any more adorable._

Kurt began laughing. Hard. Completely taking Blaine aback. This boy was seriously the most beautiful thing he's ever seen.

* * *

 **I'm making no promises, but I'm really hoping to crank another one this week, it's the Israeli Independence Day this week, so one day off work XD beyond excited. Hope to see you next time! (reviews, as always, are welcome)**


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